????目前，真正的問題存在于我們的公共教育機構。它們處境艱難，預算被再三削減。

????很難說它們的教育質量如何，往好了說是持平，往壞了說是有點下滑，尤其是考慮到可能需要4年多時間才能獲得學位。

????亞當?拉辛斯基：這將產生什么后果呢？如果教育費用超過了學生的支付能力，甚至超過了他們背負沉重債務后所具有的支付能力，那么這會被視為全國性的危機。我們怎么做、什么時候才能實現教育費用和學生支付能力的平衡呢？

????約翰?漢尼斯：我認為我們遇到了兩個部分的危機。最大的那部分危機是那些來到學校、花了很多錢、借了很多錢、利用了聯邦助學金、但沒能完成學位的學生。之所以這么說，是因為他們沒有太多的東西來證明那種投資的價值，對吧？

????危機的另一個部分是那些花了很多錢、借了很多錢、完成了學位、但沒有做出任何成績的學生。

????對于完成了學位的絕大部分學生，投資回報是相當可觀的。近期的分析顯示，這種回報率每年超過10%。因此，這是相當高的回報，非常令人滿意。

????我認為，問題在于我們必須解決其余的學生。也就是說，我們必須解決學生為什么不能畢業的問題。我認為最大的問題是學生們準備不足。我們把太多的孩子送進了大學，但他們并沒有真正準備好。我們在大學里按照大學收費的標準來給他們補習，這真是荒唐可笑。

????亞當?拉辛斯基：對此我們究竟應該怎么做？

????約翰?漢尼斯：我認為我們應該利用——我認為我們不得不利用科技來解決這個問題。

????亞當?拉辛斯基：為什么我們不能從政策角度來解決問題，讓更少的學生去讀大學？

????約翰?漢尼斯：或許可以。或許可以。我們應該讓更少的學生去讀四年制大學，讓更多的學生去讀社區大學。隨便說一句，我們應該確保他們完成兩年制學位。我想說的是，社區大學也很難使學生完成學業，很多學生都沒有做好準備。有數據顯示，財務壓力，支付給大學的費用是學生輟學的主要原因之一。因此，我們需要解決這個問題，我希望科技會是解決方法的一部分。

????The real struggle that exists right now is for our public institutions. They're in a really tough situation and their budgets are being cut and cut and cut and cut.

????And so it may be hard to say that the quality of their education, at best it's leveled out and at worse, particularly if you consider the fact that it may take more than four years to get a degree now, it's actually gone down somewhat.

????ADAM LASHINSKY: And so what will give here? If the education costs more than students are paying, and even what they're paying they're going deeply into debt, and this is seen as something of a national crisis, how and where and when do we reach equilibrium on this?

????JOHN HENNESSY: So, I think we have a two-part crisis. The biggest piece of it is students who go to school, spend a lot of money, borrow a lot of money, use federal grants, and then don't complete their degree, because they don't have a lot to show for that investment, right?

????We've also got the problem of students who spend a lot, who borrow a lot, complete a degree but then can't make anything useful with that.

????For the vast majority of students who actually finish their degree the return on investment is pretty good. A recent analysis shows that it exceeds 10 percent a year. So, that's a pretty good return, I mean, be very happy with that return.

????I think the problem is we've got to attack the rest of that. That means dealing with why don't students graduate, which I think the biggest problem is inadequate preparation. We send too many kids to college who are not really ready to be in college. And teaching them remedial material at college, at college costs, that's a ridiculous thing to do.

????ADAM LASHINSKY: What are going to do exactly about that?

????JOHN HENNESSY: I think we're going to use -- I think we're going to have to use technology to attack that problem.

????ADAM LASHINSKY: Instead why don't we come together from a policy perspective and send fewer students to college?

????JOHN HENNESSY: We might. We might. Maybe we should be sending fewer students at least to four-year colleges. We should be sending more students to community colleges. And by the way, we should make sure they finish their two-year degree. I mean, the community colleges struggle with getting students through, too, many unprepared students, and there's data out there that shows that financial stress, the cost of paying for college is one of the major reasons students drop out. So, we need to address this issue, and I'm hopeful technology can be part of that.